Seven arrested in Argentina for alleged terrorist plot

Argentine authorities have detained seven individuals suspected of links to a terrorist group.

Security Minister Patricia Bullrich announced the arrests on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Caliber.Az reports.

Respecto a este procedimiento, mantuve una conversación con el fiscal federal Fernando Alcaraz.
Las personas responsables están detenidas y la población puede estar tranquila que tenemos a la Justicia y a las Fuerzas Federales de Seguridad y Ministerio de Seguridad nacional y… https://t.co/ZfWeXpd1x4

— Patricia Bullrich (@PatoBullrich) August 17, 2024

Bullrich disclosed that the suspects were reportedly planning terrorist attacks in Mendoza. The federal police conducted eight searches, leading to the dismantling of the organization. The group is believed to be associated with a radical Islamist faction and had come under scrutiny after threatening a Jewish journalist.

The minister added that the group used social media to spread "hate speech" and plans for attacks. They were also found to have circulated materials from terrorist organizations such as ISIS and the Taliban.

The suspects were arrested at a border crossing between Argentina and Chile and at Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires.

Argentina, which has Latin America's largest Jewish community, has experienced several attacks on this community in the 1990s, including the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people, marking the deadliest attack in the country's history.